The present invention relates to personal flotation devices of the type generally known as life vests. A life vest comprises a body portion that is typically either formed essentially of a buoyant material or has a fabric shell filled with a buoyant material. A life vest also comprises a means for securing the body on a wearer's torso, such as one or more belts and associated buckles.
In high speed watersports, such as jet boat racing, side entry life vests are used more commonly than the front entry life vests used in recreational boating. Side entry life vests are defined by a ventral panel that covers the wearer's chest and a dorsal panel that covers the wearer's back. The term "panel" is used for convenience, and a panel does not necessarily correspond to any specific construction. The dorsal and ventral panels are connected along one edge, thereby forming a generally V-shaped or U-shaped structure. The unconnected edges of the panels define an entry opening into which a person inserts his torso from a lateral direction to don the vest. The vest may also have a top panel or straps to support the vest on the wearer's shoulders.
The ventral panel of a side entry life vest can be more fully padded with buoyant material than a conventional front entry vest to better maintain a wearer floating face-up in the water if the wearer is unconscious. The additional padding may also protect the wearer against the shock of an impact with the water; boat speeds in watersports such as jet boat racing may reach 75 miles per hour or more. In addition, side entry life vests are more easily donned and removed than the more conventional front entry vests. It is important that a life vest be quickly and easily removable from an injured wearer.
Although side entry life vests provide many advantages to boat racers that front entry life vests do not, they suffer the disadvantage that a person can inadvertently don the vest backwards because the ventral and dorsal panels are typically similar in appearance. Further adding to the potentially confusing symmetry, the buckles of side entry vests are typically located across the side entry opening of the vest.
Life vests used in high speed watersports typically are more heavily reinforced than life vests for recreational boating to prevent them from being torn off the wearer's body during an accident. In particular, the belt loops may be reinforced to aid retention of the belt on the vest during a high-speed accident. Nevertheless, there is a need in the art for more secure retention of the belts.
Racers in land-based sports may wear jackets that bear the name of a sponsor. Racers in water-based sports, however, cannot easily attach a sponsor's name or logo to their life vests because the vests have few flat areas on which such indicia can be imprinted or otherwise attached. For example, the dorsal and ventral panels of a side entry vest has several belt loops, between which sections of the belts are exposed.
These problems and deficiencies are clearly felt in the art and are solved by the present invention in the manner described below.